This invention relates to theft prevention and more particularly to a method and apparatus for securing a mobile elongated object, such as a kayak and the like, having a maximum cross-section intermediate opposed ends and tapering to the ends, to a stationary body to preclude and discourage theft of the object.
Although the prior art is replete with theft preventing devices for securely locking various objects against unauthorized removal and theft, no means for securing elongated light weight mobile objects without physically attaching a permanent bracket thereto are disclosed in the prior art. Chains and locks which can be used by passing the chain about a strut or similar portion of the object such as a bicycle are known, which do not require physical attachment of the securing means to the object. However, when the object is of a nature, shape and a material where there is no element about which a chain can be wrapped, and whereby attachment of a bracket would damage the structure and render it non-functional, no theft prevention devices have been developed in the prior art. For example, kayaks and similar decked white water boats are elongated objects having a general shape such that it tapers from a major dimension at the cockpit or passenger opening to a generally pointed end at each opposed end. Although there may be fastening devices for securing other objects having a general configuration of a kayak, because of the nature of the thin flexible covering about the hull physical attachment of a member to a surface or even the frame is precluded not only because of potential leakage problems caused by perforating the hull, but because the device usually could be pulled or ripped out of the covering or skin. Thus, no such securing devices are used for kayaks and theft has become a problem where white water kayaking is popular.